Taking Charge

Suffolk Teen Wins Award For Leadership

It's not easy to win a Harry F. Byrd Jr. Leadership Award. You have to be a leader who excels in school and shows good citizenship and good character. Only 11 high school students a year can win.

Those who know Jonathan Merrell aren't surprised he won this year.

Merrell is a senior at Nansemond River High School in Suffolk, where he has a 4.396 grade point average. He also plays on the soccer team, and is president of Nansemond River's Operation Smile Club, which helps children worldwide get plastic surgery to correct facial deformities.

"He tries hard in whatever he does and he is really determined," says Adam Russell, a classmate at Nansemond River. "He likes to push himself to the limit."

This fall, Merrell, who will graduate from Nansemond River after only three years, will enter the College of William and Mary, where he expects to major in government or international relations.

After Merrell heard about the Byrd award -- named for its creator, former U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. -- he applied.

A group from the University of Virginia whittled the applicants to 33, three from each congressional district in Virginia. Merrell was one of the representatives from the 4th congressional district, which includes Suffolk.

After his selection, he traveled to Richmond for an interview. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico led conducted the interviews that determined the final 11 recipients. Merrell then returned to Richmond to accept the award -- and the $7,000 prize.

"He is devoted to making a difference," said Nansemond River student Lauren Kelley, of Merrell's commitment to raising money for Operation Smile.

Merrell, an Eagle Scout, also finds time to be involved in the youth group at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Merrell wants to extend his church activities abroad.

"I plan to serve a mission for my church and go and teach anywhere in the world I am sent," he said. "It is a two-year mission, beginning at age 19. I will postpone my schooling for a couple years."

Receiving the Byrd award solidifies the lessons Merrell learned from his family.

"My parents raised me to look around, keep my eyes open for people who need help and need a leader," he said. "I look for opportunities to lead."